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Lawns do have a place in waterwise gardening
By Robert Dailey
Freelance Writer
You may have heard that turf (lawn) is inappropriate in waterwise
gardens.

In fact, nothing could be farther from the truth. It's probably
the most

misunderstood principle of waterwise gardening.

A lawn does have a place in a garden. Even though it requires
more care

and water than many other plants, it's relatively easy to maintain.

There are a number of advantages to planting turf. Some are
empirical,
while others may be somewhat subjective. For instance, a lawn helps
cool the
local microclimate in the garden. It reduces erosion...something
anyone who
lives in dry parts of Texas should be concerned with. Because of its
texture

and color, it also reduces glare of the sun.

One of the more subjective reasons for having a lawn in your
garden is

that it provides a play area for children and adults.

While any type of groundcover can fulfill most of the needs
above, turf
is the only one that can provide a play and recreation area for
children and
adults. (It's very, very difficult, not to mention messy, to play
croquet on

dirt.)

If you do decide to include turf in your garden, then there are
several

things you need to consider. For instance, where do you want your turf

installed? How large an area do you want? How will it be used? And
finally,

during which seasons do you want to use your turf?

At this point, you are ready to limit your turf to the most
useful

spaces, and also to decide which type of turf will suit your needs.

The problem that people have with lawns is that they do use a
lot of
water. However, if watered properly, and the water is not wasted,
responsible
and limited use of lawns can add significantly to the beauty of your
garden,

the quality of your life and the environment.

And you can use sprinklers to water your lawn. Just make sure
that you
dont use too much water and dont water for too long. Nothing is more
troubling
to a gardener than to see runoff from lawns going down a storm drain.
Too much
water on a lawn leaches out nutrients, allows fertilizers to get into
our
water systems and wastes an awful lot of water. Dont use more water
than you

"When something gets out of control in the garden, such as
weeds, ground
cover or invasive plants," writes Patricia Dickson, "I use the weed
eater or

mower and cut the plants that I don't want to the ground. Then I take

newspapers (several layers thick and wet if the wind is blowing) and
put them
right up around the plant that I am trying to save. Then I add grass
clippings
(about 3 inches deep), and 3 inches of mulch. (I get my mulch from the
free
mulch pile at the city landfill.) Then I top dress with mulch that I
have

bought. This saves a lot of money, time and resources. One of the most

important things then is to be sure to keep it damp until the papers
break
down with the grass clippings. This will form a mat that keeps the
soil moist
and a more consistent temperature. You can keep the edges clean by
spraying
Round Up once a month. I have started new beds or vegetable gardens
this way

or kept them from being taken over by vinca or ivy or weeds."

Have a favorite gardening tip you'd like to share? Texas
Gardener's
Seeds is seeking brief gardening tips from Texas gardeners to use in
future

issues. If we publish your tip in Seeds, we will seed you a free Texas

Gardener T-shirt. Here's a chance to get published and be a garden
stylist as
well! Please send your tips of 50 words or less to the editor at:
Gardening

Galveston: Festive sights and sounds will fill Moody Gardens at
the
sixth annual Festival of Lights November 17 through January 5. This
whimsical
celebration will kick off the holiday season on November 17, with
Santa Claus
parachuting in to switch on the lights. Festival of Lights is
celebrated
Thursday through Sunday November 17 through December 16, and daily
beginning
December 17. Transforming its lush tropical garden setting into a
winter
wonderland, Moody Gardens will be adorned with more than a million
twinkling
lights and dozens of light displays. In addition to experiencing the
lights,
guests can also strap on a pair of skates and glide across the ice at
the
Outdoor Ice Rink at Moody Gardens. Indoors, visitors can take pictures
with
Santa or even gaze upon a giant poinsettia tree. Moody Gardens will
feature a
variety of holiday-themed films during the Festival of Lights. Three
films
will be playing at the IMAX 3D theater and two films will be playing
at the
Ridefilm theater. The Garden Restaurant will feature a delectable
holiday
buffet, offered from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. Group rates of $20 per person
are also
available for groups of 20 or more, and include admission to Festival
of
Lights and the holiday buffet. Admission into the Festival of Lights
is $5.95,

Paddlewheel Boat, can be purchased for only $4.00 each. For more
information,

call Moody Gardens at (800) 582-4673 or visit www.moodygardens.org.

League City: The Wednesday, December 5, meeting of the Kemah-Bay
Area
Garden Club will feature "Holiday Floral Designs," a presentation by
Anniece
Larkins, floral designer. A light lunch will be served. The club meets
at the
Amegy Bank, 303 East Main Street, League City. For additional
information,

contact Nancy Busko, president, at (281) 332-5294.

Lake Jackson: For several years John Panzarella has hosted a
citrus
tasting and open house in his backyard, 404 Forest Drive, Lake
Jackson, which
is about 50 miles south of Houston. The next open house will be
Saturday,
December 15 from 2 p.m. until 4 p.m. Taste 40 to 50 citrus varieties
and see
different varieties of fruit trees. Panzarella has approximately 200
different
varieties of citrus, 50% to 70% fruiting, plus several varieties of
persimmon,
sapote, guava, pawpaw, loquat, pomegranate, avocado, papaya, fig,
peach,
passion fruit, mango and pecan trees growing in his backyard. You are
invited
to visit, taste the citrus, and see one of the largest citrus
collections in
the state of Texas and the largest collection north of the Texas Rio
Grand

valley. See the giant Panzarella orange and the giant 10 lb. Panzarella

cluster lemons. You will also have the opportunity to view a
multi-grafted
tree which has grapefruits, tangerines and oranges growing on it. For
more

Houston: Urban Harvest Fruit Tree Sale will be held Saturday,
January
19, from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. A class describing all varieties for
sale, as
well as providing vital information on how to plant and care for each
type
tree will be held January 5 and 12 (your choice), from 2 to 4 p.m. A
nominal
fee of $10 is charged for the class. Register for the class by calling
Urban

Houston. For detailed information about the sale as well as about
fruit trees,

check the Urban Harvest website www.urbanharvest.org.

Tomball: The annual Fruit Tree Sale and Seminar presented by
Heidi of
Treesearch Farms will be held at The Arbor Gate, 15635 FM2920,
Tomball, on
Saturday, January 27. The day begins with a free seminar at 9 a.m. The
sale
begins at 10:30 a.m. For additional information, contact (281)
351-8851 or

Houston: River Oaks Garden Club will host its 73rd annual Azalea
Trail
Friday through Sunday, March 7, 8 and 9 from 11 a.m. until 6 p.m. each
day.
Azalea Trail, 2008, will celebrate the 51st anniversary of Miss Ima
Hogg's
gift of her beautiful home and gardens, Bayou Bend, to the Museum of
Fine
Arts, Houston. The trail will feature four private houses and gardens,
as well
as Bayou Bend, Rienzi and the River Oaks Garden Club Forum of Civics
Building
and Gardens. Tickets for seven admissions are $15 before March 7 and
$20
during the trail. Single admissions are $5. For additional
information, call

Tomball: The Arbor Gate will host its third annual Rose Festival
March
8. More than 100 varieties of old and antique roses will be available,
as will
guest speakers and informative booths. The Arbor Gate is located at
15635
FM2920, Tomball. For additional information, contact (281) 351-8851 or
visit

Burnet: The Highland Lakes Master Gardener Association will
sponsor the
10th Annual Hill Country Lawn and Garden Show, March 22, from 9:30
a.m. until
4 p.m. at the Burnet Community Center on E. Jackson in downtown
Burnet. The

show features garden-related vendors, a children's booth, a raffle, and
seminars. Admission is free. For more information, visit

Kilgore: Northeast Texas Organic Gardeners meets at 1 p.m. on
the first
Wednesday of each month at a new eco-farm in Kilgore. If there is
enough
interest, we will also start a Sunday afternoon monthly meeting. For
more

information, call Carole Ramke at (903) 986-9475.

League City: The Kemah-Bay Area Garden Club meets the first
Wednesday of

Allen: The Allen Garden Club meets on the first Thursday of each
month
at 7:30 p.m. at the little blue-gray house located at 102 N. Allen
Dr., Allen.

For more information, visit www.allengardenclub.org.

Austin: Austin Organic Gardeners meet at 7 p.m. on the second
Monday of
each month at the Zilker Botanical Gardens in Austin. For more
information,

visit www.main.org/aog.

Rockport: The Rockport Herb & Rose Study Group, founded in March
2003,
meets the second Wednesday of each month, with the exceptions of June
and
July, to discuss all aspects of using and growing herbs, including
historical
uses and tips for successful propagation and cultivation, meets at 619
N. Live
Oak Street, Room 14, Rockport at 10 a.m. Sometimes they take field
trips and
have cooking demonstrations in different locations. For more
information,
contact Linda (361) 729-6037, Ruth (361) 729-8923 or Cindy (979)
562-2153 or

visit www.rockportherbs.com.

San Antonio: The San Antonio Herb Society meets at 7 p.m. on the
second
Thursday of each month at the San Antonio Garden Center, 3310 N. New
Braunfels
(corner of Funston & N. New Braunfels). For more information on
programs,

visit www.sanantonioherbs.org.

Dallas: The Rainbow Garden Club of North Texas meets the second
Sunday
of each month at 2 p.m. Everyone is welcome. Meetings are held at
member's

homes and garden centers around the area. For more information, visit
www.RainbowGardenClub.com.
Denton: The Denton Organic Society, a group devoted to sharing

information and educating the public regarding organic principles,
meets the
third Wednesday of each month (except July, August and December) at
the Denton
Senior Center, 509 N. Bell Avenue. Meetings are free and open to the
public.
Meetings begin at 7:00 p.m. and are preceded by a social at 6:30. For
more

information, call (940) 382-8551.

Seguin: The Guadalupe County Master Gardeners meets the third
Thursday
of each month at the Texas Cooperative Extension Bldg. at 210 E. Live
Oak at 7

p.m. For more information, phone (830) 379-1972 or visit
www.guadalupecountymastergardeners.org.

Fort Worth: The Organic Garden Club of Forth Worth meets at 7
p.m. on
the fourth Tuesday of each month except July and December at the Fort
Worth
Botanic Gardens main building. Refreshments are served. For more
information,

call (817) 274-8460.

Dallas: The Dallas Organic Garden Club meets at 6:45 p.m. on the
fourth
Thursday of each month at the Fretz Park Recreation Center, located at
the
corner of Hillcrest and Beltline Road in Dallas. For more information,
call

(214) 824-2448 or visit www.dogc.org.

Arlington: The Arlington Organic Garden Club meets from 7 p.m.
until 9
p.m. on the last Thursday of each month (except November and December)
at the
Bob Duncan Center, 2800 S. Center Street, Arlington. For more
information,

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Texas Gardener's Seeds is published weekly. Suntex
Communications, Inc.
2007. All rights reserved. You may forward this publication to your
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